Blood Covered Secrets
by Beastlyyy
Summary: A killer is amongst the Clans, brutally ripping apart cat after cat. Cedarpaw, daughter of the ThunderClan leader, is determined to help reveal the traitor, and figure out their motive to commit such terrible crimes. But as she gets dragged deeper in to this killing spree, she uncovers secrets that threaten to destroy her, and every cat she loves.
1. Allegiances

Okay! SO I have been MIA for a while, sorry! I was using some other

accounts but I decided to just edit this one instead pf creating a new one and make it my main. Plus, I have definitely improved over the last few years. So, without further ado, here's my story!

 **Allegiances**

 **ThunderClan**

 **Leader:** Shallowstar- blonde she-cat with white paws and green eyes

 **Deputy:** Adderfoot- ginger tabby tom with blue eyes and a white underbelly

Apprentice: Sleetpaw

 **Medicine Cat:** Cherryshine- ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes and a white underbelly

Apprentice: Nightpaw

 **Warriors:**

Tawnyshine- caramel dappled she-cat with blue eyes

Dappleheart- brown and white dappled she-cat

Apprentice: Bumblepaw

Eaglewing-dark brown tabby tom with white paws

Apprentice: Cedarpaw

Thorntail- black tom with green eyes

Mothwhisker- dusty cream she-cat

Lilyfoot- white she-cat with gray eartips

Apprentice: Briarpaw

Poppyfur- ginger and white she-cat

Buzzardclaw- gray tom

Apprentice: Featherpaw

Shadefur- black and white tom

Apprentice: Softpaw

Rowanfur- pale brown tom with white feet

Stagfoot- brown tom with a white tail tip

Mosstail- white and gray she-cat with green eyes

Weaselnose- light and dark brown tom

 **Apprentices:**

Nightpaw- black tom

Sleetpaw- black and gray tabby tom

Cedarpaw- pale brown she-cat with dark brown, ear tips, paws, and tail tip, and mask-like marking over her eyes and blue eyes

Briarpaw- light gray she-cat with blue eyes and a white back leg

Bumblepaw- golden tabby tom

Featherpaw- white and gray dappled she-cat

Softpaw- white she-cat with green eyes

 **Queens:**

Silvergaze- light gray tabby she-cat, mother to Weaselnose's kits: Shrewkit, a brown tom, and Berrykit, a pale gray and white she-kit

 **Elders:**

Birchfeather- light brown tabby tom

Aspenpelt- white and black tom

 **RiverClan**

 **Leader:** Marshstar- cream and brown tabby she-cat

 **Deputy:** Lichenfoot- dark brown tabby she-cat

 **Medicine Cat:** Suntail- golden and ginger tabby tom

Apprentice: Littlenose

 **Warriors:**

Rippletail- black tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Reedpaw

Moongaze- white and black she-cat with blue eyes

Stonefoot- black tom with gray paws

Sparrowfeather- black tom

Sandfur- cream coloured she-cat

Daisytail- blonde she-cat

Apprentice: Swallowpaw

Mousewhisker- brown and white tabby tom

Jaggedpelt- scruffy dark gray tom

Blueshine- gray/blue she-cat

Apprentice: Mistypaw

 **Apprentices:**

Littlenose- small white she-cat

Reedpaw- brown tabby tom with green eyes

Swallowpaw- pale gray tom

Mistypaw- pale gray she-cat

 **Queens:**

Minnowscale- Silver she-cat, mother to Mousewhisker's kits: Morningkit, a small brown she-kit, Sorrelkit, a black, brown and white she-kit, and Tadpolekit, a gray tom

Rabbitfur- White she-cat, mother to Sparrowfeather's kit: Reedkit, a black tom

 **Elders:**

Puddleheart- gray tabby she-cat

Tansypelt- brown dappled she-cat

 **ShadowClan**

 **Leader:** Lionstar- golden thick furred tom

 **Deputy:** Sedgewhisker- white and gray tabby she-cat

 **Medicine Cat:** Stormfeather- dark gray tom with blue eyes

Apprentice: Acornpaw

 **Warriors:**

Sparkfoot- ginger she-cat

Dawnheart- golden and ginger tabby she-cat

Falconwing- brown tom

Bramblepelt- gray tabby tom

Apprentice: Whitepaw

Silverclaw- silver dappled tom

Apprentice: Rockpaw

Leafshine- white she-cat with green eyes

Lightfoot- black she-cat with golden paws

Apprentice: Meadowpaw

 **Apprentices:**

Acornpaw- pale brown tabby tom

Whitepaw- thick furred white she-cat

Meadowpaw- gray and brown dappled she-cat

Rockpaw- dark gray tom

 **Queens:**

Cloudmist- white and gray she-cat, mother to Bramblepelt's kits; Mousekit, a light brown she-kit, Woollykit a fuzzy cream she-kit, Snapkit a black tom, and Patchkit, and white and brown tabby tom

 **Elders:**

Loudleap- gray tom

Rosefur- ginger tabby she-cat

 **WindClan**

 **Leader:** Blossomstar- gray and white she-cat

 **Deputy:** Molenose- dark brown tom

Apprentice: Graypaw

 **Medicine Cat:** Birdsong- blue/gray she-cat

Apprentice: Seedpaw

 **Warriors:**

Thistlestrike- brown tabby tom

Apprentice: Vixenpaw

Branchclaw- dark brown tom

Swiftleap- white and gray tom

Slyfoot- black tom with gray paws

Violetfur- pale brown she-cat

Apprentice: Tigerpaw

Spidertail- black tom

Skypelt- gray/blue she-cat

Clouddust- thick furred white she-cat

 **Apprentices:**

Graypaw- pale gray scruffy she-cat

Seedpaw: gray and brown speckled she-cat

Vixenpaw: pale brown she-cat with back paws, muzzle and ears

Tigerpaw: gold and ginger tabby tom

 **Queens:**

Twistedfoot- brown tabby she-cat with a twisted paw. Mother to Branchclaw's kits: Sagekit, a pale brown she-kit, and Talonkit, a black and gray tabby tom

Marigoldheart- golden she-cat. Mother to Molenose's kits: Sharpkit, a black tom, and Rushkit, a golden she-kit


	2. Prologue

**First story in a while! Please R &R!**

 **Prologue**

"Larkfeather! Larkfeather no!" A cracked screech sounded from the elder's den.

Cats emerged from their dens, eager to know what caused the distressed wail.

"Excuse me, pardon me," A thick furred blonde she-cat pushed her way through the multicolored pelts.

She emerged into the den, the putrid musk of blood and rotten prey filled the air.

"Shallowstar! Oh, Shallowstar, she's… she's gone!" a frail brown tabby elder sobbed.

Shallowstar tried to hide the horror in her moss green eyes.

Before her lay her mother, belly slit open. Blood poured from the deep wounds, nearly lapping at her paws. Her formerly bright eyes were glazed over with fear, and she reeked of death.

Poor Larkfeather had not even had a chance to put up a fight. Whatever had done this had used stealth and swiftness.

"Fetch Cherryshine," Shallowstar said sternly.

Moments later, the medicine cat emerged.

She tried to suppress her gasp of horror.

"Shallowstar… Our mother…" She choked, padding forward to examine the body.

After a few moments of eerie silence, anger and fear filled Cherryshine's gaze.

"Well? What did this?" Shallowstar meowed eagerly.

The medicine cat met her sister's gaze evenly, eyes narrowed in to thin slits.

"Not what, who." She hissed.

Shallowstar cocked her head in confusion.

"A _cat_ did this, Shallowstar. But there is no scent; only rotten prey, which the killer must have covered themselves in to mask their murderous stench. There is a killer amongst the Clans. Whether they be from ThunderClan or one of the other three; who says they won't stop?" Cherryshine snarled.

"I will not let something like this happen again," Shallowstar promised, pushing her way out of the den to the highledge.

"Let all the cat's old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The summoning was almost unnecessary, as the majority of ThunderClan was already gathered, curiosity sparking in their gazes.

"Larkfeather has been murdered," The blonde leader began, pausing to see the reactions of her Clanmates. They stayed silent, waiting patiently for her to continue, "By a cat."

Gasps of fear and dread rippled through the crowd, and commotion started to rise.

"What about the kits?"

"What if they strike again?"

"How did they sneak in here so easily?"

Shallowstar silenced them with a flick of her bushy tail.

"I shall be enhancing the security until we are sure there is no longer a threat. Adderfoot, shall be putting together nightly patrols and extra guards shall be placed around camp. We will hold a vigil for Larkfeather, preparations will begin immediately. Clan dismissed."

With weary paws, cats began to head back to their dens, aside from Larkfeather's family, who would prepare her for her vigil.

Shallowstar padded back to her den momentarily, grief suddenly hitting her like a boulder.

"Mama? Mama what happened?" three pairs of blue eyes gleamed in the darkness, and Shallowstar headed to greet them, touching her nose to each of their tiny heads.

"There's been an accident, dears. I will talk to you in the morning, alright? Go back to sleep. I'll be back in a little bit." She meowed.

"It will be okay, right Mama?" A little black tom squeaked.

"Yes, Nighkit."

"Why can't you tell us now Mama?" A brown she-kit piped, eyes wide.

"Cedarkit, you need your sleep," Shallowstar insisted.

"I'm not tired. Can you tell me?" a light gray she-kit asked.

"Now, Briarkit, that wouldn't be fair to your brother and sister. I promise I will tell you in the morning."

The three kits let out a few more squeaks of protest, before giving in and snuggling close together.

Shallowstar waited until their breaths slowed to head in to the forest.

She gathered bird feathers and wild lavender, wild flowers and vines.

She returned to camp at dawn.

Larkfeather lay in the center of camp. Her eyes had been closed, and her fur groomed sleekly.

Carefully, she placed her collection so it would cover her mother's wound.

Multiple Clanmates joined to help her, and the whole Clan had gathered to celebrate the elder's life.

Larkfeather had been loved amongst ThunderClan. She was always telling stories to the kits or helping clean up the camp.

She had a kind soul, and always wore her shining smile.

"Mother," Shallowstar whispered, "You will be missed. I love you."

Cherryshine was sobbing quietly beside her, and Shallowstar shuffled over so her sister could lean on her shoulder.

"Why? Why her? She was the sweetest cat. She never did anything wrong. _Why?"_ Cherryshine wailed.

"I.." Shallowstar trailed off, and then sigh, "I don't know. But I do know, that whoever did this will regret it. Whoever did this, will pay."

 **Yay! Prologue done! Chapter 1 coming soon :) Please R &R**

 **Also, I am open to constructive criticism to help me improve my writing.**

 **QUOTD: Who is your favorite warrior cat and why?**


	3. Nightmares

**Chapter 1**

 **Cedar paw's POV**

 _Cedarpaw padded through the murky forest. No birds sang, no moon shone._

 _There was an eerie silence that sent a chill running up the young apprentice's spine, yet there was something about it that told her to keep walking._

 _She parted her jaws to taste the air, recoiling as death stench hit her nose, followed by the salty tang of blood._

" _Hello? Is anybody out there?" She tried her hardest to stop her voice from shaking._

 _A blood curdling scream was her reply, and she gasped, pelting towards the cat in need._

" _Hold on! I'm coming!" She yowled._

 _Another screech sounded from a nearby thorn bush, and she leaped through, snarling._

 _She ignored the sting in her pelt, eyes widening in pure terror at the scene in front of her._

 _A large black cat was knowing away at the lifeless body of a she-cat, probably the one who had been wailing for help._

 _The wailing was silent now, and Cedarpaw watched in terror as the black monster ripped away at the she-cat's fleshing, gobbling it down as if it were a fresh squirrel._

 _The young brown apprentice slowly began to back away, pawsteps silent, until she snapped a twig._

 _The black cat spun around, red eyes blazing in fury, fangs curled in to a vicious snarl, muzzle stained with blood._

 _Cedarpaw whimpered weakly, flattening her ears to her head and lowering herself to ground._

 _The killer stalked towards her, hissing and growling. Cedarpaw desperately tried to move, but her paws her rooted to the ground._

" _Help!" She shrieked, "Help me!"_

 _The cat laughed evilly, and leaped towards her._

 _Cedarpaw screamed loudly as teeth pierced her neck, and pain rippled through her body as it began to snap._

She woke with a loud gasp, flank heaving. She glanced around the apprentice's den, seeing a faint pre-dawn glow.

She let out a frustrated sigh, and lifted herself from her nest.

Since Larkfeather had died, nearly six moons ago, Cedarpaw had been receiving putrid nightmares.

Every night, a different version of the killer came to her.

 _They are still out there,_ she thought to herself miserably.

Multiple rogues and loners had been found dead; killed the same way as Larkfeather, with the same rotten prey stench surrounding them

Crisp Newleaf air filled her nose as the young apprentice exited the den.

She could make out the figures of her father, Adderfoot, and Buzzardclaw guarding the camp enterance, and she could scent multiple of her other clanmates circling the camp.

Cedarpaw silently wish she could see Silverpelt; but a thick layer of cloud had been cover the moon since Larkfeather died. StarClan had gone silent. Cherryshine nor Nightpaw had received anything, no matter how hard they tried.

Cedarpaw knew she couldn't go back to sleep, the thought of dealing with another nightmare made her fur stand on end.

Instead, she padded around camp.

She peeked in to the nursery, checking in on Silvergaze and her kits; who had been born only two sunrises ago.

"Cedarpaw?" The sound of her mentor's voice caused her to spin around, and she found herself staring in to the concerned eyes of Tawnyshine.

"What are you doing awake? The dawn patrol isn't even stirring yet!"

"I…" Cedarpaw's eyes darted around camp, searching for an excuse. "I just couldn't sleep. Why are you awake so early?"

Tawnyshine shrugged, "I'm leading the dawn patrol, wanted to have an early start today."

The small brown apprentice's eyes lit up, "Can I join? Please?"

Her mentor's eyes narrowed, "Cedarpaw, you've only been an apprentice for a half moon and you go on more patrols than most of the senior warriors. You are going to overwork yourself to exhaustion."

"But I'm not tired, and I'm awake anyways so shouldn't I be helpful instead of sitting around camp and waiting for you to get back?" She plead.

Tawnyshine thought about this for a moment, and then sighed. "Alright."

Cedarpaw smiled and padded to meet Thorntail, Dappleheart and Bumblepaw, who were waiting patiently for Tawnyshine.

"I'm joining you guys!" Cedarpaw squeaked happily.

The patrol exchanged a few glances, but the brown apprentice couldn't read their expressions.

However, before anything could be said, Tawnyshine padded up and announced it was time to leave.

Bumblepaw fell behind the rest of the patrol to pad alongside Cedarpaw. He was the oldest apprentice, along with his brother and sister; Sleetpaw and Featherpaw.

"You've been on dawn patrol the last three sunrises in a row," He observed.

Cedarpaw shrugged, "I'm an early bird, and I like to be helpful."

Bumblepaw rolled his eyes, "What about, oh I don't know, sleep?"

She scoffed, "I sleep plenty. But I focus on my training more,"

"If you say so," The older apprentice sighed, before trotting forward to catch up with his mentor.

A loud crash in the bushes moments later nearly caused the young she-cat to leap out of her fur.

Tawnyshine signaled for the patrol to stop.

Terror filled her chest as the putrid smell of rotting prey filled her nostrils.

Cedarpaw could tell her mentor was trying to control her fear, yet Cedarpaw could smell it dripping off her fur like snow in Greenleaf.

Tawnyshine gestured for Thorntail to investigate with her, and the two cats padded forward cautiously, disappearing into the bushes,

Cedarpaw's heart sank as moments went by without their return.

"It's a loner," Tawnyshine meowed, revealing herself from the bushes, "And… she has kits."

Cedarpaw gasped, "We can't leave them here! They will die!"

"Newborns," Thorntail said, "Three of them, but whoever was just here killed the mother and the smallest one."

Cedarpaw followed her mentor back into the bushes to collect the two living kittens; a little brown and white tom, and a pale gray she-kit. They were no older than a few sunrises.

The mother had been a beautiful cat; a silver tabby, with golden specks, and the kitten that had been killed was nearly identical.

Cedarpaw picked up the she-kit by the scruff, and watched as Tawnyshine handed the tom to Bumblepaw.

"Silvergaze should be able to nurse them, they are around the same age as her own kits," Thorntail meowed as they trecked back to camp.

The sun was at it's peak when the pushed through the bushes in to camp.

They were met with stares and whispers, yet Cedarpaw held her head up high as the patrol headed towards Shallowstar's den.

"Kits?" The blonde leader cocked an eyebrow.

"They're mother was murdered, same way as Larkfeather," Tawnyshine explained.

"Are you all alright?" Shallowstar meowed, though her gaze held Cedarpaw's, concern shining in her eyes for her daughter.

"Yes, we were not attacked," Cedarpaw said through a mouthful of fur.

"Take them to Silvergaze. She will nurse them, and Cedarpaw, a word please?" Shallowstar ordered.

The brown apprentice passed the kitten to Tawnyshine, and it let out a weak mew of protest.

Shallowstar watched the patrol leave and then turned back to her daughter.

"Cedarpaw, no more dawn patrols for the next quarter moon."

"What?" Cedarpaw wailed, "That's not fair!"

Shallowstar shook her head, "I'm not going to stand by and watch my kit deprive herself of sleep. The gathering is tonight, and if you want to come, I suggest you rest. Look at you! You are exhausted. I admire a hardworking cat, but this has gone too far. Now, go wash up, eat, and rest."

Cedarpaw hung her head. She knew her mother was right, she could never be a proper warrior if she didn't rest.

She snatched a sparrow from the fresh kill pile and padded towards Bumblepaw, Sleetpaw, Briarpaw and Softpaw.

"And then, the squirrel literally jumped on my head!" Softpaw meowed. A chuckle ripped through the gathered apprentices.

"Did Silvergaze name the kits?" Cedarpaw questioned.

"No, she said she wanted to name them with Weaselnose when he got back from hunting," Bumblepaw explained.

"Bumblepaw, I think you should be a warrior for saving that kit," Softpaw cooed.

Cedarpaw rolled her eyes at Briarpaw, who stifled a laugh.

Softpaw had been an apprentice for only three sunrises, and she mooned over Bumblepaw every waking second.

Cedarpaw noticed how grown Bumblepaw looked compared to the little white she-cat.

He would be a warrior soon, and she was barely out of the nursery.

"Who do you guys think will be going to the gathering tonight?" Sleetpaw meowed.

"Probably Nightpaw, Briarpaw, Cedarpaw and Softpaw. It'll be their first one!" Bumblepaw exclaimed.

"I won't last if I don't catch a little sleep. I'm going to hit the moss for a bit, see you guys all later!" Cedarpaw said, bounding towards the apprentice's den.

Fear prickled along her pelt as she entered, and she scolded herself for being a coward towards a necessity such as sleep.

 _They are just dreams,_ she reminded herself as she tucked her nose under her tail.

 _They aren't real, so I shouldn't be scared. But I am. Oh, StarClan please just let me have a peaceful sleep for once!_

 **Chapter one finished! Please R &R! **

**QUOTD: What would you name the two kits Tawnyshine's patrol found?**


End file.
